Ripley XTR 942 Complete Mountain Bike

When it had its debut in 2011, Ibis’ Ripley made waves in the bike industry. It offered a solution for much of what riders asked for. To some it was a cross-country endurance beast, to others a wild and hard-hitting enduro rig — either way, it found a place in the hearts (and quivers) of many riders. Back for round 4, Ibis’ Ripley XTR 942 Complete Mountain Bike continues to exceed our expectations, with playful versatility, and a modern treatment of longer-slacker-steeper geometry to keep it up to speed for tackling it all. The new Ripley 4 features a ground-up redesign this year, bringing in an all new chassis inspired by the Ripmo the elevates stiffness, sheds weight, and offers a more progressive feel while riding. Just as we saw on its predecessors, the Ripley 4 retains the same 120mm of rear suspension that’s partnered up with a 130mm fork, keeping the 29er right in the sweet spot for all-mountain trail riding, quick-rolling climbs, and confident descents.

The Ripley 4’s major update meant that Ibis’ engineers could start from the ground up, and they chose to start with the heart-and-center of the bike, updating the dual-eccentrics used in the past to a new design based on the Ripmo, which still holds DW-Link suspension tucked neatly in the front triangle, but without as much weight, and with a huge boost in stiffness. This change in the frame’s chassis allows massive weight savings of over a half-pound on the frame alone, giving your all-mountain machine a little more pep in its step when you’re pushing up grueling climbs, and a more nimble feel when you’re flicking it around tight switchbacks.

Weight savings aside, one of the biggest benefits we see with the drop of the double-eccentric design is extra room in the seat-tube, which enables taller riders to run dropper posts up to 185mm. This long-dropper length lets Ibis’ engineers carry forward with even more geometry tweaks, like an extra-low standover height, so you can pick your frame based on reach, eliminating seat-tube size from your list of limiting factors on your new-bike hunt.

Changes didn’t stop with the eccentrics though, the Ripley has been tweaked all over, including a one-degree slacker headtube for a stretched wheelbase that adds a bit of confidence to the descents, and a three-degree steeper seat tube angle that keeps you in the center of your cockpit perched nicely for climbs. On the rear end of things, Ibis shortened the chainstays by a whopping 12-millimeters to boost stiffness, and make the suspension a bit more progressive, without letting go of the lively pedaling characteristics of the previous Ripley.

It’s only appropriate that a bike that’s seen such a slew of upgrades and tweaks is paired up with a drivetrain to match, and Shimano’s new 12-speed XTR drivetrain makes a perfect partner. Shimano took its time engineering its own 12-speed group, landing with the new XTR that offers precise shifting, massive gear ranges, all the while scaling in as one of the lightest weight groupsets we’ve laid our hands on. But the trip to the sweet shop doesn’t stop with the drivetrain — this Ripley also gets the sugary treatment of a premium FOX Factory suspension, Kashima-coated for buttery smooth transitions through travel, and a responsive feel that progressively ramps to keep you from harsh bottom-outs. The whole build rolls ontop of Ibis’ own 942 carbon hoops, with a low profile to manage big hits and drops, and a 35mm internal width ideal for running wide-trail tires for a bit of added pneumatic suspension.

What do you think about this product?

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>Rating: 5

February 22, 2020

Everything about this bike is awesome!

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

What can you say about one of the best everyday just crushing it mountain bikes? I've ridden the Ripley LS, Ripmo, HD3, HD4 and the HD5 and I have to say this new Ripley is a beast stuffed into a small travel frame. The wife and I traveled down to one of my favorite winter riding spots in Hurricane, Utah for a little winter camping and riding. I also thought while i'm demoing this sweet ride I'd also toss on one of the new Cane Creek Helm demo forks (140mm 44offset) and give that a shot as well.
It's been a while since I've been out on a bike, I'm coming back from an injury so the first day back riding and nothing seems out of the ordinary the bike simply works. It did feel a tad light on the front end on the steeper climbs, but that is most likely due to the fact that I had a longer fork on it. It wasn't till the second day when the wife and I switched bikes and that's when I really noticed just how sharp the front end handling was on the Ripley. Her bike felt lazy and sluggish in the turns and it definitely did not feel as efficient on the climbs or just riding down the normal trail. To be fair her bike has a little more travel but it's still a 29" current model bike that we bought in March of 2019 when it first came out.
I came away from the weekend incredibly impressed with the new Ripley. Ibis simply nailed the geometry and stiffness of this bike and the entire time while I was riding it I really couldn't think of anything I wanted to change. I was going to drop the Helm down to a 130 travel fork on Saturday night, however I forgot to bring along my small bike washing kit and I didn't want to get any dirt in the forks.
If you are reading this review it means you are looking for a new ride and quite frankly if this bike isn't on your short list, you need to reevaluate your list it's just that good!
What's that you say, you don't want to take my word for it? Well then feel free to email me at rojensen@competitivecyclist.com and I'll check the demo tour in your area and we'll get you out on one.
Pros:
Super Sharp handling
Efficient pedaling
Fits a huge range of dropper lengths for everyone
Cons:
Internal channeled cable routing is not good for running moto style braking (front brake on right)
Tight rotor clearance so Hope floating rotors will be a problem
Did I mention the internal sleeving (yes the bike is that good)
Rider Details:
5'9 32" inseam / 180lbs
Sag: 30% rear seated 20% front standing
Version Ridden:
GX Eagle w/ Factory Shock option size Medium
Upgraded the following parts: Cane Creek Helm 140 Fork - Magura MT Trail SL Brakeset - SDG Radar Saddle - I used Deity TMAC pedals.

Robert Jensen

>Rating:

July 4, 2019

Looking to buy. What is the weight of this Ripley?

Trudy M.

Robert Jensen

February 22, 2020

Hi Trudy,
This model should weigh in right around 26 lbs. with no pedals. give or take a little for different size frames.